"I think I probably need you, Bazett."
Shinji spoke, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes before he quickly replaced it with a smile.
"But no, what you want, Bazett, is most important. Whether you choose the Mage's Association or stay here, I'll sincerely wish you well. Even if... even if it means we might never see each other again."
A fatal move!
Rin, whose mouth was still covered tightly by Shinji, looked at him in disbelief. He spoke with a smile, eyes seemingly brimming with tears. This person… is terrifying!
He lied so naturally that no one could detect it!
His expression was flawless!
Because of his words, Bazett's psychological defenses had completely crumbled.
Seeing Bazett wanting to say something but hesitating, Rin was certain that this woman had already decided to switch sides.
All because of this man's sweet talk!
...
After sending off Bazett, who wanted to answer immediately but was still hesitant, Shinji faced ten minutes of scratching and pulling from Rin.
Only after Rin's frustration had somewhat subsided did she stop her actions.
"You really are scum!"
Rin's eyes were cold as she sat back down.
"What do you mean by that?" Shinji asked, puzzled.
"Using such methods to recruit people! Is this how you always deal with women? Do you ever tell the truth?"
"Wait a minute, Tohsaka."
Shinji raised his hand to stop Rin, then sat up straight, crossing his hands under his chin and looking at her with interest. "Why do you think what I just said was a lie? What makes you think my words weren't sincere?"
"Because your usual behavior and that gentle, sunny demeanor just now are completely different! You have such a twisted sense of humor. Poor Bazett, being deceived by you like that!"
Seeing Rin's anger, Shinji sighed and shook his head helplessly, saying, "You're still too young. Judging reality as true or false based on what you see is a sign of immaturity."
"What do you mean?"
Rin looked at Shinji with disdain, her tone cold. "Are you trying to say that your words just now were genuine? That Shinji Matou has a gentle side that always considers others?"
"Yare yare daze~"
Shinji shrugged helplessly. "Impressions are really scary. They can easily label someone with certain tags."
"No matter what you say, I will never believe that what I saw was the real you! Absolutely not!"
Seeing Rin turn her face away in a huff, Shinji finally got serious. "Tohsaka, here's some advice: what you see as real isn't always true, and what you think is false isn't necessarily fake."
Hearing Shinji's serious words, Rin was taken aback and looked at him incredulously. "So... are you saying that you really have that gentle side?"
Shinji didn't answer directly but leaned back, crossing his legs, and resumed his usual annoying demeanor. "Who knows? But I can tell you, I wasn't lying just now."
"Then you were pretending to be gentle! I knew it! You definitely don't have that side to you! The real you is much worse!"
"Is that so..." Shinji's expression suddenly showed a hint of sadness. Then he looked up and gave Rin a melancholic smile. "So, that's how you see me..."
Seeing Shinji like this, with an aura of gentle sorrow, Rin's face inexplicably felt hot.
She began to doubt herself and felt a slight regret.
Did she really misunderstand Shinji?
Does he really have a gentle side?
Unable to bear Shinji's sorrowful gaze, Rin turned her slightly reddened face away, crossing her arms defensively. "You can't blame me for jumping to conclusions. After all, your usual behavior is so annoying, and you've never shown that side to me..."
Seeing how Rin was completely led by Shinji, Archer silently sighed and shook his head, realizing that Shinji was indeed Rin's nemesis. Taming him would be incredibly challenging for Rin.
"Actually, I was pretending."
Shinji suddenly raised a finger and said.
"Huh?" Rin was confused.
"Ha! Your expression is too funny. Haha..."
Unable to hold back, Shinji burst into laughter.
Hearing Shinji's unstoppable laughter and realizing she had been fooled, Rin's face darkened. After a brief moment of silence, she leaped at Shinji, who was sitting across from her on the sofa.
"You bastard! Scum! Jerk! Pervert! Liar! Idiot! Fool! Go to hell!"
"Did your Kansai accent just come out? Is everything okay?!"
"Shut up! Just die already! And Fuyuki is in the Kansai region!"
...
After the commotion, Rin began venting her frustration on Shinji's fruit supply, realizing that beating him up wouldn't relieve much anger.
Eating more seemed more practical.
Watching Rin devour the fresh cherries that had just been delivered, Shinji decided to give up on the idea of commenting and remembered what he originally wanted to do.
"Since Bazett is gone, I think I'll take a nap."
"It's already afternoon!" Rin grumbled.
"Then I'll just sleep through the evening as well."
"Are you a pig?!"
Ignoring Rin's complaints, Shinji looked at Sakura, who had entered the room right on time, and continued, "Anyway, I'll leave the rest of the time to you two sisters. Good night~"
"It's afternoon, brother." Sakura corrected him with a smile, then lowered her head slightly. "Brother, please rest. I'll talk with sister for a while."
"Alright."
Nodding, Shinji turned and left the guest room. However...
As soon as he reached the door, he encountered Saber Lily, looking refreshed, and Cu Chulainn, lying on the ground like a dead dog, his body covered in bruises.
Saber Lily's stats, when restored to human form, were indeed higher than Cu Chulainn's. Apart from her magic power, which was a B instead of A, everything else was A!
"Lancer is..."
Before finishing his sentence, Shinji saw Cu Chulainn twitching and quickly corrected himself. "Lancer is actually still alive!"
"That was a bit inhumane..."
Rin murmured.
...
The Mage's Association's efficiency was frighteningly high.
By five o'clock in the afternoon, they issued a new announcement saying the previous announcement was a mistake. There was no so-called sixth magician; it was an error in their judgment.
Many magi investigating Shinji after the initial announcement cursed the Mage's Association for their mistake.
This was the first time the Mage's Association had made such a blunder!
Of course, the Mage's Association felt wronged. Based on the words of the second magician, Zelretch, and Bazett's detailed report, the boy in the Far East seemed like a magician.
He could travel to worlds even the second magician couldn't observe and summon the strongest Phantasmal Species dragon, which wasn't even recorded in history.
It was said he might have even mastered the third magic. What else could such a person be called if not a magician?
But...
This boy was insane!
His actions were like constantly threatening to blow himself up along with everyone else. He even said if they didn't revoke the title, he would reveal all mysteries to the world!
And he gave the Mage's Association just one day to comply.
If that's not madness, what is?
The high-ranking members of the Mage's Association were furious but wanted to calmly discuss this with Shinji.
Anger? Defiance? Ignoring him? They didn't dare. No one could guarantee Shinji wouldn't do it, and the Mage's Association's higher-ups were too divided.
Many prominent families, upon learning of Shinji's demand, cursed him while simultaneously submitting requests to the Mage's Association to revoke the title of the sixth magician.
Of course, there was one person who opposed this and believed Shinji wouldn't go through with it. That person was Lord El-Melloi II.
Based on all the information on Shinji Matou, Lord El-Melloi II concluded that he wouldn't really do something so drastic.
His analysis suggested that while Shinji acted freely, he always had a sense of proportion.
Of course, no one listened to him.
In the end, the Mage's Association stated, "Observation error, the results were biased," and denied the existence of the sixth magic.
Seeing the higher-ups concede, Lord El-Melloi II was helpless but could do nothing. The higher-ups were too rotten, and he could only do so much. He could only focus on teaching.
Lord El-Melloi II didn't know that the young man he analyzed couldn't be understood by common sense. Shinji was indeed prepared to bury the entire mystical side if the Mage's Association didn't comply.
...
Shinji had just finished his nap when he received the message. After reading the email, he tossed his phone aside.
The result was as expected. However, one line in the report — that a certain noble from the Clock Tower insisted he wouldn't destroy the mystical side — piqued his interest.
After some thought, Shinji admitted the noble was partially right.
He didn't plan to destroy the entire mystical side.
He was prepared to give it a proper burial.
A slight difference in words, but a world of difference in meaning.